Living Under This Roof
by Lia Fae Tsuruga
Summary: (Adopted by yoru nekozawa-sensei) Kanae and Hio havent spoken to each other for 3 yrs. Suddenly they are forced to live together by President Lory to prepare for their roles as step siblings that fall in love. But with Kanae 20 and Hio 15, will the drama they're supposed to act turn real?
1. Chapter 1

_**Note: I do not own Skip Beat or any of it's characters. **_

_**Hi! It's Lia, and I hope you enjoy this story! I'm sorry but it just popped into my head one night after remembering about Hio and Kanae's relationship and I just **__**had**__** to write it you know? I mean he is so cute and it's kind of sad that they don't have any fan fiction for them. I would love to read some fanfiction with the both of them in it, so I'm going to unleash one of my ideas upon you all lol. I kind of doubt many people will read this considering it isn't KyokoxRen, but I still hope some people will read it and like it. **_

_**Also for the house in Karuizawa, just so you can get an idea of what it looks like here is a picture**__**: **__**.**__** For the bedroo**__**ms and living rooms you'll just have to forgive me and try to imagine them yourselves by the descriptions I give. Anyways I hope you like this story :)**_

_**-LIA**_

_**A Week Later**_

She is like no one I have ever met.

I have been in the entertainment business for as long as I can remember, and because of this and because of my family I was always treated differently by everyone around me. I could never trust anyone to tell me the truth. Because of my looks and stature, everyone believes I am younger than I actually am, and are all surprised when I tell them my real age. And yet not her.

She has been the only one that was unfazed when she realized my true age, nor did she act overly nice towards me because of who I was and who my parents were.

Kotonami Kanae. Ever since we met three years ago you have got my attention, to the point where before I knew what was happening I had already fallen for you. . . But I know you still see me as a child. Will you ever see me as a man? Or will I have to stay with this unrequited love forever?

_**The Present**_

Hiou Uesugi sat in the living room of the large summer house, staring outside through the large window that was the wall and cursing the certain President that had gotten him in this predicament in the first place.

It had been only a few hours ago in the President's office in LME that this whole thing had started.

_**A few hours ago at LME**_

Hio had walked to the elevator and waited until it arrived at the top floor of the building with a soft ding, then went past the doors as they opened to the large oak ones and went inside President Lory's office.

He sat on his throne like chair, wearing white arabic robes with golden threads bordering them. Some distance away was a live camel, looking somewhat bored in the confinement of his office as it drank water from a basin.

Hiou had been shocked at first with the President's odd tastes, but had gotten somewhat used to it over the past three years since he had worked at LME.

"Good morning Hiou-kun. Please, take a seat." President Lory said, gesturing towards the lush red couch in front of his desk.

"Good morning President." Hio answered calmly, walking towards him. "You wished to see me?" Right when he asked this he saw her. Kanae was sitting on the red couch, looking at him as he came in. Immediately Hiou felt his heart speed up as he saw her again. He had seen her a few times as he had walked through the halls of LME, but it had been a long time since he had actually talked to her.

"Good morning Uesugi-san." She said with a small smile.

"Good morning Kanae." He answered, his voice calm as he spoke and sat down next to her on the couch. She smiled once more and they both turned to President Lory, knowing that he was going to have to explain why they were both here.

"Well, you're both probably wondering as to why I called both of you here, so I'll cut right to it. Both of you have gotten the leading roles in a new drama coming out in about a month's time, and you will be working together." He said. Hio and Kanae glanced at each other. They hadn't heard that they would be working together. In fact, they had only heard that they had been offered the job a few days ago by their managers. They both turned back to the president, not seeing what this had to do with them being called to his office. Surely he didn't call them just to tell them that.

"You will be playing as step siblings that fall in love with each other in the drama, and so to be able to get into your new roles I will have the both of you live together for the next two weeks." He said calmly, as though he were simply stating a fact about the weather. Both Kanae and Hiou were frozen for a few moments as the news that their odd president had just given them sank in.

"WHAT?" They both yelled at the same time. President Lory was completely unfazed by their response, as though he were expecting it.

"You can't be serious." Kanae said, shaking her head.

"How in the world is this relevant to acting?" Hio asked, staring at the president.

"Oh, but I am. And this has everything to do with acting. Both of you need to be able to get into your roles for the drama, and to do that I need both of you completely focused on it. Don't forget that both of you are in the Love Me section." Both Hiou and Kanae twitched at that.

Hio had been shocked when he had received the uniform of the Love Me section after having entered LME. It had been turned red after much debate with the president, but the horrible logo was still completely visible and it was still highly embarrassing to wear. He had almost begged his manager to get him as many jobs as possible so he could avoid ever wearing that horrible uniform. Yet because of this he was still in it, no matter what. Kanae had been getting more and more jobs as she progressed as an up and coming actress, but she still had to wear the uniform every so often.

"Both of you still are unable to fully express 'love,' and because of this are still in the Love Me section, despite being in it for so long. Both of you have been lucky and have been able to avoid having to act in such roles that show the emotion of love, but for this new drama both of you are forced to show it. Because of this, I need the both of you completely focused on trying to get the feeling of love across to the audience, helping each other as co-stars in the drama, and as fellow members of the Love Me section." He explained, his voice firm as he spoke, showing he was fully set on doing this.

Both Hiou and Kanae were silent as they contemplated what he had said. It was true, they were still members of the Love Me section, and even though they hated to admit it, they both were unable to show true love in their acting. Finally Hio sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"You're not going to give up on this idea of yours, are you?" He asked, looking right at the President.

He smiled and shook his head, happy to see that there wasn't going to be much more of a fight on Hiou's side.

"Uesugi-san!" Kanae said exasperatedly, turning to him.

"What?" He said. "Kanae, you know him. He's not going to let this go no matter how much we argue, and you know he has a point, as strange as it is. It's best we save our breath." He said. Kana stared at him for a moment, and then sighed in defeat as well.

"You're right." She said.

"Splendid!" President Lory said, beaming at the both of them. "The helicopter is waiting for you on the roof. Come on, theres no time to waste." He said. Suddenly both Hio and Kanae were led away in a hurricane of excitedness and confusion by the President, who somehow managed to get them to the roof where a large black helicopter stood ready to take off, push them into the helicopter and shut the door before either of them could say anything. The pilot took off immediately, leaving them looking out the window at the ground as they went away, President Lory looking up at them with a wide grin on his face.

They later had a talk with President Lory on the helicopter explaining that they would be going to his summer house in Karuizawa for the next two weeks, and that their managers had already cleared everything up for then so they could relax. "Take it as a sort of vacation." he had said, then left the two actors bewildered and cursing their managers and president, and in the back of their minds dreading what their strange president had in store for them in decoration.

In the end they arrived at Karuizawa in complete silence, and when they arrived at the summer house they saw that it was relatively normal, considering what they would have expected. The large white building was two stories tall, and held a large pool at the back, along with large windows in every room, letting the sunlight pour into the rooms and give off a nice clean feel.

Both guest rooms looked the same, with large king-sized beds and white sheets, the walls and ceiling a bare white along with a night stand next to the bed with a single lamp, a walk-in closet and next to it a bathroom with both a shower and a white porcelain tub. A large bookshelf filled with books of all genres was some distance from the bed, two leather chairs and a single glass table in front of the large window that led to a balcony looking over the pool.

Both rooms were on the second floor, and were right next to each other. Both of them already held the items of the two actors, and much to their surprise and dismay all of their clothes-including underwear-were in the closet of their rooms.

Kanae and Hiou were both too shocked to do much other than gaze at everything in awe, until they were left alone inside the house, not exactly sure what to do with themselves in the odd situation, the awkwardness between the two growing more and more as time passed.

Kanae had excused herself to her room, and Hio had done the same, trying to let everything that had happened sink in. In the end he splashed some water on his face and went down stairs to the living room, sitting on the white leather couch while he drank some juice, his mind already wrapped around everything that had happened.

_**Back to the Present**_

Stupid President. Hiou thought. Always doing things at his own pace. Right then Kanae walked down the spiraling stairs from the second floor and glanced at Hio.

"Hey." She said, only a trace of awkwardness in her tone.

"Hey." Hiou said, looking up from the spot on the wall he had been staring at for the past few minutes. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that the situation was back to normal, well as normal as it could get considering the circumstances, he could see the changes in Kanae.

Kanae had matured a bit in the past few years. She had let her silky raven hair grow and reach to the small of her back, and on her body she wore a white halter top, along with a black skirt and white leather boots. She stood with a new sense of confidence, as she should, for she had always been beautiful. But she wore it like an accessory, and it suited her well. Unknown to Hio, she had also warmed up a bit to everyone, no longer the cold ice berg she had been before when she first joined LME. After so long being next to Kyoko, she had warmed up to people, even though her heart was still not fully healed.

Hiou noticed her small changes, and felt a thought cross his mind. _She must have gotten a few boyfriends with her looks. I wonder if she's single now?_ He wondered. _No, she would have immediately thought about what he would think of her being gone for two weeks. . .Wouldn't she? _He thought. Despite Kanae's small changes, Hio had changed quite a bit in the past few years.

Hiou had become taller, still short at 5'4, but he had grown nonetheless. He had started to become a bit more muscular from all of his job offers that required him to be up early and going all over the place. His face had become a bit more masculine, no longer a child, but not quite an adult. He became more mature as well, no longer being as arrogant as he was as a child, even though he was still a kid at heart in his own ways. He wore a close fitting black T-shirt that brought out his slim build, along with dark blue jeans and converse sneakers.

Kanae had noticed these changes now that she spoke to him, and had a single fleeting thought cross her mind. _He's really getting mature. _She thought, and started to admire the way his slim build was emphasized by his shirt, and started to wonder if he had grown some muscle as well in the past three years. She internally shook her head and forced those thoughts away. _What am I thinking? I'm not a freaking pedophile. _She thought, and was brought back to the present as she arrived at the living room.

"I'm gonna go for a walk." She said, remembering what she had planned on doing before.

"Mmm." Hio murmured, facing back towards the spot he had been staring at before, forcing himself to stop thinking about Kanae's personal life. It wasn't any of his business wether she went out with anyone or not.

Kanae stood there for a few moments more, then went to the front door, about to leave when Hiou called out behind her.

"Have fun." He said. She didn't answer as she closed the door.

_This is going to be a long two weeks. _They thought.

_**Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it :) I plan on updating the next chapter for Fighters really soon, I've just had a bit of trouble writing the chapter cuz of the whole scandal thing. Please review, and with the encouragement I might just speed up the writing process :) Anyways until later! **_

_**LIA**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Note: I do not own Skip Beat**_

_**Hi, it's Lia. I'm really sorry it took so long to post the next chapter, but my dictator (AKA le mama) took away my computer from me so that I can 'focus on school.' D: Anyways after much debate on my part I managed to let her let me use the computer on saturdays and sundays, so yeah. Also for what I said on my last "Author talk" with you, the whole "there isn't any fanfiction about them" was a typo on my part. I meant "there isn't MANY fanfictions about them." Sorry about that, I really didn't mean to disrespect the authors of the other Hiou-Kanae fanfictions or anything like that, just a simple typo. Let this be a lesson to me that SPELLING IS IMPORTANT lol. Well I know you don't want to hear me ramble on, so here is the next chapter! :) (Spoiler Alert) Hiou can cook! XD **_

_**-LIA**_

Akira Ishimaru was a young 15 year old boy born into the world of business. His father was the head of a large company in the US, and so was always abroad for his work. He had been raised since he was born proper etiquette along with being raised to be head of the business one day after his father. His mother had died in child birth, his father by her side when she took her last breath. After his mother's death, his father buried himself even more in his work, leaving his newly born son to the nannies and caretaker, unable to bear to see his child's face that took his wife from him. Every year instead of celebrating his birthday like any other child, they mourned the death of his mother. Akira himself was a genius; a child prodigy, good at any sports he tried and with an IQ of 145, along with the charisma and looks of a celebrity to boot. He had learned how to be mature at an early age, never having received any love from anyone and knowing that the only reason people were nice to him was because of his father. He had grown arrogant as a child, always having whatever he wanted given to him on a silver platter.

His father married one day while he was in school, and on that day he was taken to a nice hotel in a limo, where he met with his father, his step-mother, and step-sister. They planted the news on him. He didn't care what his father did, so he agreed to the marriage simply to leave. But that was until he was intrigued by his new step-sister. She was proud, and she didn't have any objections to her mother's sudden remarriage, but then again maybe she was a gold-digger along with her mother. He found interest in her, if only slight, but not in the romantic way. He thought of her as a new toy. His father took them to a new house in the US to live in so he wouldn't have to be abroad all the time, where it was summer break for the students. His father and step-mother took advantage that he didn't have school and went on a honeymoon to Europe, leaving him in the single house with his step-sister.

_This Akira guy is kind of like me. _Hiou thought to himself, looking over his script for the drama as he thought about the characters themselves. _Weird._ He thought. He grew up without seeing much of his parents, and everyone treated him differently because of who his family was. _We're practically twins. _He thought with a small smile. _But how do I show love on the screen if I have never received it in my life? _He wondered. He smiled sadly to himself, remembering his own situation.

His parents were never home, always working, so he left his house three years ago and got his own apartment, then transferred to LME and started to become serious about acting as his career. The stupid President had noticed he could not 'love' after talking with him, so got him into the Love Me section as a result. Hio grimaced when he remembered the feeling of pure disgust when he received the hot pink uniform in his size. He had debated with the President for hours afterwards, trying to convince him to change the color of the uniform at least. In the end he had won the debate, but only barely. He still went to school, though he missed it a few times because of work. He lived alone, his manager accompanying him and driving him to his jobs, but that was it. His parents didn't really care what he did, and it wasn't like he had any friends that would visit him. No. . . He was always alone. _No_. He shook his head._ This isn't the time to be thinking about my life. I need to focus on this role._ He thought. Yet despite telling himself this, his mind still wandered back to his depressing thoughts. _I should go and cool my head._ He thought, then stood up and went to the kitchen on the first floor, and to the sink, then splashed some water on his face.

He stared down at the sink for a few moments, thinking._ How the hell is this going to work?_ he thought, running a hand through his hair.

Kanae was walking down a small path in the trees, herself doing the same as Hio and getting a grip on who her character was.

Michiko Nakamura was eighteen, already graduated from high school, and was very different than one would expect. She had been brought up in a poor house hold, working ever since she was ten by running errands for other people just to help her mother, thrown away by a husband that had been cheating on her. Her mother had worked as a stripper just to give her enough food to eat. Michiko hated the things her mother had to do and so did everything she could to get rid of that life. She had become the best in her class both athletically and intellectually, always striving to be number one and please her mother. She received a scholarship for high school, and eventually she had managed to be able to bring up the both of them by working after school, giving every penny to her mother, until they both managed to live pretty well-off, in an average household with her mother working as a receptionist. She was proud of herself, and how she had managed to be where she was now by sheer will power alone. She didn't swoon over good looking boys or men from a rich background, all she cared for was her mother being happy.

She had been at work as a librarian when her mother had gotten married, then gotten dragged off in a limo into the five-star restaurant where her mother was waiting along with her new husband and step-son. It was needless to say that Michiko was shocked. But she accepted seeing that her mother was happy with her new husband, and so wasn't angry that she had married without telling her. She thought of her new step-brother as someone who was simply mysterious and odd, giving off a mature feeling despite him being three years younger than her. She saw him as an acceptable step-brother, but she didn't really have a good opinion on his yet. She had been told that when they moved to the new house in the States that she would be able to go onto college at the same time as Akira, at the end of the summer break. She was very thankful for having her expenses paid for her, yet felt strange receiving so much. She didn't give a single word of complaint when her mother went off to Europe for a honeymoon with her new husband.

_There's something wrong with this girl._ Kanae thought to herself. _How could she do everything just so her mom could be happy? She must be mental. _She thought. But she knew that deep down inside she could understand how this character felt. She may not have been so poor as Michiko, but she had had to take care of all of her younger relatives, working hard so they could be well off. Even if she did have some problems actually taking care of them. She smiled. The brats could really get on her nerves, but they were fine at times. She stopped walking, and stared up at the sky-well, what could be seen of it through the branches of leaves overhead.

_I've been gone for a while,_ Kanae thought._ I should go back._ And with that she turned on her heel and walked back down the path to the summer house, thinking about how she would meet Hiou when she arrived.

It seemed like she didn't have to worry, since Hiou wasn't anywhere in sight when she arrived. She stood at the doorway, mentally attacking herself for worrying over what she would say to Hiou, when he wasn't even there. She sighed and decided that it was a good thing that he wasn't there. She needed to get her act together, and see this as just another ordeal the President has put her through. She was sure that Hiou was thinking around the same lines, for he was a much more experienced actor than she.

Kanae went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, then went upstairs to her room, and sat down on one of the leather chairs, curling up her legs under her and sipping from her glass of water, looking outside the window and letting her mind wander.

Hiou was in his room as well, lying down on his bed contemplating with himself on wether he should act or not. He had heard when Kanae had walked past his door thanks to her heels, and had started to wonder himself on how he would talk to her. _She's probably thinking of it in a professional way, _He thought. _I should too._ In the end he stood up, and before he could lose his nerve he walked to her room and knocked on the door. There was no response.

_That's weird._ He thought._ I was sure I heard her enter her room._ Slowly he opened the unlocked door and stepped inside, making sure she wasn't there. He spotted her after a moment sitting in one of the chairs, facing outside the window. He grew a bit braver and walked towards her.

"Kanae-" He stopped when he got close enough to see her closely. Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose and fell slowly, her breathing deep as he realized she was asleep. He stood there for a few moments, simply watching her sleep, not knowing what to do. He noticed that her legs were curled under her, and smiled. It was so unlike the proud Kanae that he knew to sit in a chair with her legs curled under her.

He unfroze and before he knew what he was doing, he had sat down on the chair beside her, and simply watched her as she slept, taking close examination of her face. Her smooth porcelain skin, her perfectly shaped nose and beautifully pink mouth. He never got tired of simply watching her, and after a while, he found himself falling asleep as well, until they both sat there, sleeping a well-deserved rest after so much work, the sight of the beautiful two young actors making anyone want to sigh in satisfaction.

_**A Few Hours Later: 6:02 PM**_

Kanae woke from her sleep, though she was still groggy. She was in the land between dream and reality, and glanced around her. It seemed to be growing dark, not very late but already night. She had noticed that there was someone else on the chair next to her, and had one fleeting thought before sleep overcame her again, bringing her back to her dreams. _Hiou? _

_**One Hour Later: 7:05 PM**_

Hiou awoke from his sleep and glanced around him, his grogginess leaving him quickly. It was dark, he realized, and in a moment of panic glanced at Kanae, letting out a silent sigh of relief when he saw that she was still sleeping.

He had no ill intentions in mind, but he knew how it was possible for her to react to see him sleeping next to her. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 7:08. He got up and silently left the room, shutting the door behind him. He yawned once and went to the kitchen, knowing that soon it would be time to eat dinner.

_**Half an Hour Later: 7:40 PM**_

Kanae awoke once again from her sleep, though this time fully, and glanced around her once again. She led her eyes to the chair next to her, and saw that, unlike her dream, there wasn't anyone sitting there. Just in case, she placed her hand on the seat, though a bit stiffly, for her legs had fallen asleep under her. Like she had suspected, it was cold._ Of course._ She thought. _Why would Hiou be sitting there?_ She looked outside and saw that it was dark, then closed the curtains, standing up and stretching, then going outside her room to the hall.

There she managed to smell a light scent of food coming from the kitchen. She walked down the stairs, realizing as her stomach grumbled that she was hungry.

When she arrived she saw that Hiou was setting two plates on the table, and glanced up in her direction.

"Perfect timing, I was just about to call you for dinner." He said, standing up. Kanae was shocked, but kept her composure as she spoke.

"Thank you." She said, then walked to one of the chairs set up and sat down next to Hiou, who was sitting as well. Kanae looked at the dinner itself and was a bit shocked to see what Hiou had made. It was simple chicken curry, and yet the thought of the very same arrogant little kid from three years ago had actually made a meal was surprising to her. _What am I thinking? It should be normal that he can cook._ She thought to herself, quickly regained her composure and murmured an "Thanks for the meal" before picking up her chopsticks and beginning to eat. When she took a bite she was surprised once again. The flavor took over her whole mouth, and she was left with satisfaction with every bite. It was not as good as Kyoko's cooking, of course, but still much better than her own failed attempts at cooking she has done over the years.

Hiou didn't even glance at Kanae, though thanks to the position they were in, he was able to see her split-second stunned expression from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but smile inwardly over seeing her reaction. It made him proud of himself in a way, to be able to surprise her with his ability to cook he had gained after living alone. _I'm not the little kid you knew three years ago anymore._ He thought to himself.

They ate in silence for a few moments, almost as though there was a thick barrier over them that made it impossible to speak. It wasn't unbearable, but it wasn't very comfortable either. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a few minutes, Hiou broke the silence.

"So how have you been these past three years?" Hiou asked, looking at Kanae straight on, his gaze confident, yet refined at the same time, leaving Kanae no choice but be drawn into his gaze, at his beautiful eyes.

"I've been good, I've gotten a lot of jobs lately. I moved into an apartment with Kyoko after a while. But she moved out after a few months of dating Tsuruga-san." Kanae said with a smile, happy for her best friend who had finally grown and admitted that she loved Tsuruga-san.

"Yeah, I heard that they're dating a while back." Hiou said, remembering with a small smirk how Kyoko had reacted to his arrogant attitude before.

"What about you? How have you been?" Kanae asked.

"I transferred to LME in order to get more jobs, and have been pretty busy ever since. I moved out from my parents' about a year afterwards, into my own apartment. I'm still going to school." He answered.

"Isn't it hard, going to school and working?" She asked. Hiou shook his head.

"Not really, they're flexible because of my schedule." He said simply.

". . .Why did you move out?" Kanae asked after a moment.

"Because I wanted to be seen as me, to earn my own worth, instead of just having it given to me because of my family." Hiou answered. His tone was calm and even, but there was a fire in his eyes that came to life, showing how much he was devoted to achieve that. But then it sort of died down, so that he was back to normal once again. "Anyways because of that, I learned how to take care of myself." He said, drawing his gaze away.

After then the two actors began to talk about other things, telling a few of their stories they had from set, including one about a newby actress that tried to hit on Hiou while they were filming.

They picked up their plates and washed them in the sink, continuing to talk as they did so, until finally both of them yawned in exhaustion. It was already close to midnight by then, and they were a lot more comfortable with each other than they had been at the beginning.

"Goodnight." Kanae said when they went up the stairs to their bedrooms, giving a small smile as she did so.

"Goodnight." Hiou answered with a small smile of his own. They went into their bedrooms and both collapsed on the beds, letting sleep overtake them once more, as the first day of their two-week ordeal finally ended.

Thirteen days to go.

_**Thanks for reading :) Please Read and Review! **_

_**-LIA**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Note: I do not own Skip Beat**_

_**I am a failure as a writer. I haven't updated in over a month; I am so disappointed in myself. I would completely understand if you all hated me and just left me. Now I could go on to a whole explanation on how I've been so busy, but you guys would still be annoyed with me. I'm sorry, and I hope I can somehow make it up to you. **_

_**-LIA**_

The next day, both of the two young actors woke up completely rested, after a well-deserved sleep, and it were as though there were a sort of weight lifted from their shoulders. Neither of them had realized it, but being so busy with jobs back in Tokyo, both of them had been completely stressed-out, to the point where their rest did wonders on both of their bodies.

Kanae woke first, having been a morning person her whole life, and immediately started her usual routine of heading straight for the bathroom to take a shower, the warm water washing away all traces of sleep from her body, as she remembered the events of the day before. She wrapped a large white towel around her body, and headed straight for the closet, choosing a simple white tank top and dark blue skinny jeans, along with white sandals to match, and her hair tied up in a messy but cute knot at the crown of her head.

It was a simple outfit and without many accessories, but somehow it went well with Kanae, making it seem much more fashionable than it actually was. Her hair was still a bit wet as she walked from her room outside, downstairs where Hiou was at, his hair a mess as he made breakfast.

He had woken up a few minutes after Kanae, and had walked downstairs in order to make breakfast, as he always did, when Kanae walked down the stairs.

He glanced at Kanae when she arrived, completely unaware to his bed-head as he placed the two plates of eggs and hash browns on the table.

"G'morning." He said to Kanae as he sat down. Kanae smiled. She had never seen Hiou with bed head, and it was a charming sight.

"Morning." She answered, sitting down as well, and they ate in silence once more. But this wasn't an uncomfortable and awkward silence like the night before had been. It was nice, and calming, a great change in their usual routines, to have someone else with them for breakfast. Outside the weather was perfect, the sun shining down and pouring into the rooms perfectly; a good omen, if there was such a thing.

After cleaning up breakfast, they started to make small talk, and Kanae sat down in the living room, starting to read the script while Hiou excused himself and went upstairs to take a shower, after realizing that his hair was a mess when Kanae kept on glancing at him and smiling. He came back down around fifteen minutes later, his hair still wet, as he dried it with a white towel around his neck. He wore a simple white T-shirt along with black shorts, and white sneakers. He held the script in his hand, looking through it as he went down and sat opposite Kanae on another couch. Neither of them brought up the question that they both desperately needed the answers to, which was "How do we express love?"

"Why don't we try to act out the first scene after Akira and Michiko meet, in the house?" Hiou suggested, finding it as good a choice as any on how to start.

"Sure." Kanae said, finding it a good place to start as well.

Immediately both of the actors were into their roles, and both stood, their scripts in hand, even though they both had most of it memorized anyways. Kanae was Michiko, all smiles and with a kind look in her eyes as she watched Akira, walking closer to him. Hiou was Akira, and the way he stood changed, back into the haughty and arrogant way he used to carry himself when he was younger, a bored look on his face, and a cold and calculating look in his eyes.

Michiko brought out a hand to him, a polite smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you Akira. I hope we get along." She said. Akira stared at her hand for a few moments, then at her. He didn't move for a few more moments, until he made a look of disgust and slapped her hand away. Michiko was surprised. What was wrong with this guy?

"Don't ever call me Akira." He said at last. "I don't give a rat's ass about what my old man does, but just because we're now siblings doesn't mean you and your gold-digger mother can start warming up to me." With that he turned on his heel and started to walk away from her, when Michiko grabbed his wrist and stopped him from leaving. He paused, then slowly turned back, somewhat surprised that she had dared to grab his wrist. But Michiko was furious. As soon as the words "gold-digger mother" escaped his lips she had felt her blood start to boil. How dare this boy, this _kid, _insult her mother.

"Let's try this again." Michiko said, her voice firm as she spoke. "I am Michiko, and I am your older sister. You are my younger brother Akira. My mom married your dad, and they are both happy. I don't care if you call me a gold-digger or anything else you'd like, but don't you **ever **insult my mother you disrespectful brat." The last sentence was said with such spite, unlike any Akira had ever seen before in his life, and coming from a woman nonetheless. He twitched once when he heard the word "brat" coming from her mouth, but ignored it. He was unfazed as he spoke.

"Age doesn't mean you have power over me. If you compare us, I am God, and you are a cockroach that managed to find it's way into my life. Don't speak as though you are my equal." And with that he shook his hand from Michiko's grip and left, leaving a fuming Michiko behind him.

Hiou stopped and turned back, having turned back to Hiou when he stopped. Kanae was back to being Michiko, and the way the two stood and looked at each other, it were as though they never had that heated scene from before.

"Well this doesn't make sense." Hiou said.

"How can these two fall in love when they hate each other from the beginning?" Kanae asked.

Hiou sighed.

"How the hell does the President expect us to learn how to convey love?" He asked, mostly to himself.

"I don't know." Kanae answered, lost as to how their president expected them to learn from each other, when both were in the Love Me section.

". . . . Have you ever had a first love?" Hiou asked suddenly. Kanae was stunned at first, but shook her head.

"No, I've never had a first love." Hiou simply nodded slightly, trying to think of a way to fix their problem.

"Have you?" Kanae asked after a moment. Hiou paused for a bit, then nodded.

"Yeah, but it was more of a crush than a first love." He answered, remembering about back then, and smiling slightly despite himself. "She was a proud girl, and very dignified, though on the inside I knew there was a kind heart. But then she went away, and she never learned of my crush." Kanae was silent. She couldn't really understand it, but she felt a small twitch inside her when she realized he had a first love. But why shouldn't he? Was she simply a bit envious that he had one before she did?

"Anyways I think that will be of little help. Other than that, I've got nothing." Hiou finished, shaking his head and returning to the present.

Kanae sighed. "I have another suggestion." She said.

"What?" Hiou asked curiously. Kanae looked away and stared at the floor instead, turning a bit pink as the said the next words.

"We need to close the curtains."

Hiou didn't know why, but when he heard those words his mind started to go into overdrive, imagining several dirty things about what she was suggesting to do. Kanae simply stared at the floor, turning a darker shade of pink as the seconds rolled by. The two actors simply stood there, both faces turning pink without their consent, as they waited until one of them moved in order to start.

_**That Night**_

The two actors kissed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. As the kiss grew more passionate, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he pushed her down on the bed, a rough sound escaping his throat as he leaned upwards and took off his shirt, throwing it in a heap to the floor. She quickly did the same, and he leaned forward to claim his love.

Kanae and Hiou sat on the large white couch, both eyes glued to the screen as they watched the scene take place, a single bowl of popcorn between them. This was the sixth movie so far, and both couldn't look away, for every moment of the movie was a learning experience for both of them. Though for scenes like this, where the two protagonists finally make love both actors started to self-consciously shift a bit, barely noticeable to anyone besides themselves.

They had gotten Netfix and started to watch a marathon of American Movies, including Notting Hill(1999), Titanic(1997), Dirty Dancing(1987), Grease(1978), and Moulin Rogue(2001).

Time passed, and this movie too, ended. Kanae glanced at the clock, and saw that it was already near One AM.

"I think that's enough movie watching for one night." Kanae said, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah." Hiou stood as well, and yet both of them, despite it being so late as it was, were not tired. More like a bit restless to try out the new information.

Neither spoke of this though. It was more of a silent agreement between the two, using no words, simply their eyes once.

Hiou walked closer to Kanae and cupped her face with his hand, staring right into her eyes as he did so. They were only a few inches apart, and, feeling a bit bold, Hiou placed his other hand on Kanae's back, bringing them closer together. He knew that he was pushing his luck a bit by placing his hand on her back, but he felt as though it were alright, that even if he were rejected or told off, he could simply blame it on trying to get the feeling across. Yet this did not stop his heart from beating a bit faster as he stared right at her.

Kanae knew what Hiou was doing, that they were simply trying out the new information they had gotten, but it didn't stop her from getting slightly caught up with his actions, letting herself be held like this, unable to really hate it. She stared right into his eyes, finally seeing their true color, a clear grey. His eyelashes as well were finally able to be seen, so long and dark, that would make any girl envious.

_He really is beautiful. _She thought. She didn't even scold herself then, she simply stared at him more. Hiou leaned in closer to her, and for a moment, she thought he would kiss her. And yet the strange thing was that if he did, she wouldn't hate it.

Hiou stopped right before his lips made contact with Kanae's, and could feel her breath on his face as he stood there, stopping himself before he crossed the line. What was wrong with him? He had no problem kissing other girls on screen before, even when he was younger. So why couldn't he do it now?

_It's because it's not just another actress. _He told himself. _Because it's Kanae, and we are still in this predicament. I shouldn't cross the line without needing to. No, I can't cross it. _A bit slowly he released her, standing a bit over a foot away from her.

"It's late." Hiou said after a moment, his voice neutral, showing no sort of feeling for what he was just about to do. To what had just happened. "I think it's about time we went to bed." Kanae unfroze, and regained her composure, answering with the same tone.

"Yeah." Neither spoke another word until they arrived back upstairs and went to their rooms. Both said a simple "Goodnight." and went inside their rooms, closing the doors behind them, thinking about what had just happened.

_We're acting. I got into my role as Michiko a bit earlier than I would have expected, and I simply saw him as Akira. Nothing more._ Kanae tried to convince herself.

_What the hell was I thinking?_ Hiou thought to himself_. I almost crossed the line. That should never happen. We may kiss afterwards on set, but before then it's completely unnecessary. Stupid Midnight Magic._ He thought to himself.

He sighed. _It's best to just forget it. _And with that both fell asleep again, having gone through another day safely(?) Twelve Days to go.

_**Thank you for reading! **_

_**It's not like I didn't do anything in over a month; I have been really busy.**_

_**I entered high school, I'm in all honors/advanced classes, I've been going to business meetings in hotels, (you know with the whole coffee, briefcase filled with papers and talking about politics kind of thing) I'm also in Drama Club and we've been having rehearsals pretty much every school day and we're now performing "The Tempest," I had about four in-class debates (I'm in the debate class) went to a Debate Tournament, won a trophy at the Debate Tournament, and during the rare times that I do have some free time I am either sleeping or I'm much too tired to do anything. **_

_**I know this still doesn't excuse how I haven't posted in so long, but at the very leas you know I haven't been doing nothing. **_

_**-LIA**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Okay, so here is another chapter. I was going to make it two chapters but it was simply too short to cut in half, so I made it one extra long dose. Now for those of you who wanted to see Hiou and Kanae kiss then here is a little present for you. Thank you so much for all the alerts, favorites, and reviews, they mean so much to me. I hope you enjoy. **_

_**-LIA**_

Chapter 12

_Dawn_

The next day came by in a flash. Kanae awoke first some time around dawn, lingering in her bed for only a few moments more before standing up and changing into a pair of black yoga pants, a blue sports bra and white tennis shoes, her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She needed to exercise.

With that in mind she went downstairs and out the front door to the trail she had walked through before, and began a steady jog from there. She jogged for a good hour or so, stopping only once or twice to drink some water, then sprinting for a minute or two before falling back into a steady jog.

She arrived back at the villa with a sheen of sweat on her skin, satisfied with the familiar feeling after a good work out. She went inside to find Hiou in the living room, his script in hand.

He turned from his script at the sound of Kanae entering the room, his face expressionless as he looked at her, then turned around again.

"Welcome back." He said simply.

He had woken up and gone down to make breakfast as usual, however when he saw that Kanae had not gone down yet he went upstairs to wake her. When he found her not there he searched the rest of the villa. When he couldn't find her he became worried. Where was she? He wondered.

He tried to calm himself, telling himself that she had probably just gone somewhere nearby, that she would be back soon. He tried to focus on memorizing his lines, however found it a helpless task. His mind simply couldn't grasp the words.

He had waited for over thirty minutes and was about to set out to find her when she entered the room.

He wouldn't admit it, but he gave a small sigh of relief in his mind to see that she was all right. It may have been a small time period in which she was gone, however her absence left a mark on him. Was it his feelings of worry over his co-star . . . or was it his old crush resurfacing?

"Thanks." Kanae answered coolly. She went upstairs without another word and went to her room to take a quick shower. As the sweat was washing from her skin she began to think.

She felt a small pang of something, was it hurt, coming from her chest when she saw Hiou. He was indifferent. He hadn't been acting like that the day before. He had paid attention. She shook her head. He was acting. She tried to convince herself. That is why he was acting like that. Of course he wouldn't be worried about me being gone for an hour. He knows I can take care of myself. She tried to convince herself.

Kanae didn't know it, however she had been somewhat hoping that Hiou would be even the slightest bit worried.

But for the moment she ignored this and instead finished her shower, changing into a pair of dark blue jean shorts, a white tank top, a loose black jacket and brown sandals. She went downstairs and served herself a bowl of cereal, quickly eating that and going back upstairs to her room to study her lines. However this was pretty pointless, since in about ten minutes she had memorized the entire script, cover to cover.

This was the one time in her life Kanae had ever cursed her incredible memory. She lay down on her back for several moments, and then went back downstairs.

Hiou was still in the same place she had seen him last, holding his script in his lap and staring at it intently. She sat down across from him.

Hiou looked up to see Kanae glance at him. He looked back down at his script, and then spoke.

"'What are you doing here?'" He began, then paused, waiting for Kanae's line. Kanae followed his lead, saying the next line flawlessly as though she had rehearsed it hundreds of times, not the few times she had just done.

"'Can I not be in my own house?'"

"'This isn't your house.'" Akira said with a sneer.

"'As long as our parents are married, it is as much my house as it is yours.'" Michiko answered.

"'Such rubbish coming from the mouth of filth.'"

"'Should I remind you that I am your older sister, and you have to respect me?'"

"'You cannot demand respect.'" Akira raised his eyebrow and shot the comment that he knew riled this girl up more than anything. "'But I guess it's this barbaric quality my father found interesting in your mother. Like mother like daughter. Otherwise no one would ever spare a glance at that whore.'"

He would visibly see the hate in her eyes. Yet he simply smiled. He loved to rile up this barbaric creature before him more than anything else.

"'Don't you dare talk about my mother that way.'" Michiko said menacingly.

"It's the truth, isn't it? Your mother is a whore. A whore that somehow managed to fool my father into marrying her.'" Akira said, taunting her more by deliberately drawing his sentence longer.

"'My mother is not a whore.'"

"'She's not a whore when she worked as a stripper? How can you explain this logic?'"

"'She did that to raise me.'"

"'To raise you by becoming a whore?'"

"'She left that job long ago!'"

"'It still doesn't mean that she is clean.'"

With that Michiko stood from her seat, walked over to Akira and slapped him across the face.

"'She sacrificed herself to raise me, and she taught me right from wrong! She taught me that sometimes in this world you have to do things you don't want to do, and as soon as I could I got a job to support her I got one, making her leave that job where dirty old men went to look at her! You think you're so high and mighty? When it is people like you; rich people that go and get pleasure over seeing women do that, then go on and call them filth afterwards? You're all hypocrites!

"'And I at the very least worked my way to where I am, what did you do? You have never worked a single day in your life–you have never seen strife, you have never lifted a finger, you have never cried yourself to sleep from hunger! You are just a pathetic daddy's boy that gets everything he wants. Without your father, you are nothing! You are just a pathetic, worthless, arrogant _brat!_"

By the end of her speech Michiko was breathing hard, tears threatening to come out of the corners of her eyes. She desperately tried to hold them in, as the two people stood silent, the words of the other sinking into their minds. Wounding them.

Without another word Michiko left the room, and as soon as she was out of sight, she felt hot tears roll down her eyes.

Kanae went back into the room, her expression back to normal, without any trace of the scene from before. It was as though it never happened.

Hiou's cheek wasn't red, as one would expect. Kanae had hit him lightly, barely making a sound as she did so.

Both actors were silent as the mulled over the scene.

Kanae sighed.

"How in the world can these two fall in love when they obviously hate each other?" She wondered aloud.

"They must be idiots." Hiou commented.

"Want to try it out?" Kanae asked.

"The kissing scenes?" Hiou asked.

"We might get a better feel of it if we try out the data from before." Kanae said.

"It's worth a shot."

After a moment the two were once again in their roles, waiting for either one to choose a scene.

Michiko sat down on a chair, hugging her knees. Tears were running down her face. She didn't make a sound as she cried; her pride was too strong for her to do so. She felt a presence behind her, and soon afterwards a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"Hey." Akira said, for once in his life feeling awkward and unsure of himself.

Michiko didn't answer.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Akira said, sitting down next to Michiko. She had her face turned from him, her eyes closed as she let the tears fall. She tensed slightly, surprised that those two words would be able to come from his mouth. Yet she didn't speak.

"I'm sorry for what I said before . . . I'm just not used to . . . well, this." He said, trying to find a word to describe their relationship, yet finding none to adequately describe it.

"I thought that you moved on from that. I thought that you changed." Michiko heard herself say. "How could you let them say that about me, about my mom?"

At these words Akira felt a strong pang of regret. He should have stopped his supposed "friends" from ever saying those things. He should have shut them up; he should have defended her.

But he didn't. And that was what hurt the most.

He just stood there, listening to their snide remarks that he himself would have made, had he not changed and actually met Michiko. Gotten to know her.

"I have changed. You should know that better than anyone." Akira said.

"Then how could you just stand there?" At this Michiko's voice cracked, and Akira realized how weak she truly was. All this time he had thought she was a strong woman, someone that could never be brought down. Someone he had always wanted to be. But she wasn't that. She was just a girl, hurt, and crying. Because of him.

Before another word was said Akira found himself hugging Michiko, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"I'm sorry." He breathed into her ear. "I'm so, so sorry."

At this Michiko turned, tears falling from her eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, Akira leaned forward and began to kiss the tears away, the taste salty on his tongue.

Even after the tears were gone he continued to kiss Michiko's face; her cheeks, her nose, her eyes. She had stopped crying, and instead looked up at him, somewhat surprised at how he seemed to be taller than her now. He had seemed so much smaller before. When had he grown so tall?

Without a word being said Akira leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers, just the lightest of touches, filled with unsaid words and feelings. Akira leaned back, his face turning a light shade of pink. Michiko smiled slightly, and the two leaned forward, pressing their lips together.

The kiss was slow and tender, seeming to last a lifetime in a mere few seconds, leaving the other breathless and wanting more.

Akira pressed Michiko closer to him, his arms wrapped securely around her waist as the kiss continued. Neither of the two wanted to stop; however they knew they had to because of the need for air. When they came up, they gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments more until finally Akira spoke, his voice a whisper in the newfound silence.

"Goodnight, Michiko." He whispered.

And that marked the end of the scene.

_**Okay, and so done is the next chapter. Now I know you must be frustrated that I left a cliffhanger, however if I continued to write I know it would become too long of a chapter, but I promise that I will try to update as soon as I have some free time. Anyways I hope you enjoy, I love all of you guys and thank you again for all the alerts, favorites and reviews. And I hope everyone a happy early Thanksgiving **_

_**-LIA**_


	5. Author

**Author Note: I am so, **_**so,**__**so**_** sorry for my inactivity for the past year or so. I know you all are disappointed in me and you all have the right to be, because I deserve it. I haven't even offered an explanation as to my absence and have just been horrible. **

**Real life kind of hit me with a bang – I've become involved in show choir, debate, drama, and honors society along with karate and trying to juggle my grades, plus I've been applying for scholarships and got a job, contacting colleges, you get the idea. I know I shouldn't have put so much food upon my plate, but that's kind of what happened. I barely have enough time to sleep, let alone sitting down to write a half-decent chapter of a story!**

**And I know, you all probably don't really want to hear my sob story, but that's what happened and I'm terribly sorry. This story will not be continued by me, however it has been given for adoption to **yoru nekozawa-sensei** in case you all wanted to check that out. **

**Again, I am so sorry that it has taken so long for this at least, so please do not hate me too badly. Thank you.**


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